Case Number 13611: Small Claims Court

Twelfth Night

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All Rise...

On the twelfth night of December, Judge Christopher Kulik decided to put on some yellow stockings to seduce his would-be girlfriend.

Editor's Note

Our review of Twelfth Night,
published October 31st, 2005, is also available.

The Charge

"I'll serve this Duke. Thou shalt present me as an eunuch to him; it may
be worth thy pains."—Viola

The Case

Written around 1601, Twelfth Night is one of Shakespeare's most
delightful comedies. Sure, it demands suspension of disbelief and acceptance of
all-too-obvious shenanigans, though once one gets wrapped up in the plot of
mistaken identity and pompous buffoonery it should charm your socks off. Plus,
while the play contains similar elements of other Bard comedies like A
Midsummer Night's Dream and Much Ado About Nothing (read:
"ass" jokes), it still stands on its own with plenty of delicious word
play.

Like all of Shakespeare's plays, Twelfth Night has had its fair share
of cinematic adaptations. Probably the most well known is a 1996 version with
Helena Bonham Carter, though teenage students would no doubt prefer She's The Man or, as I like to call it, the
stripped-down, Barney-style version. That being said, this 1969 version by the
BBC is really only recommended for a) Shakespeare buffs or b) high school
teachers who still have respect for the source material. Both camps should be
more than pleased.

Twelfth Night is set in the fictional kingdom of Illyria, where an
aristocratic noblewoman named Viola (Joan Plowright, The Spiderwick Chronicles) survives a
shipwreck and washes ashore. She has no money, her sailor-brother has drowned.
She has no choice but to find get a job and hopes to be a servant to Countess
Olivia (Adrienne Corri, A
Clockwork Orange). Olivia is notorious for ignoring foreigners, so Viola
must work for a lazy Duke named Orsino (Gary Raymond, The Rat
Patrol)…disguised as a man!

Here's where the romantic entanglements and misunderstandings come in. Now
calling herself "Cesario," Viola falls in love with Orsino, though he
is already in love with Olivia, who is currently in mourning of her late brother
(o, the irony of t'all). What's left of her family is Sir Toby Belch (Sir Ralph
Richardson, Greystoke: The Legend Of
Tarzan, Lord Of The Apes), a rambunctiously drunken uncle who delights in
making an ass of himself and Olivia. Along with another admirer, the cheeky Sir
Andrew Aguecheek (John Moffatt, Murder On The Orient Express) and
Olivia's butler, the stiff Malvolio (Sir Alec Guinness, Star Wars), the
plot descends into endless mischief and mayhem…but who will end up with
whom?

I must confess that when I received this product for review, I'd never read
the play or seen it on stage, for that matter. In preparation, I did read the
play and was struck at how faithful this version was. Occasional scenes
(particularly in the first two acts) were shifted around a bit, though almost
all of the prose was included. Watching this version of Twelfth Night
makes you feel like you are actually seeing it on the stage, complete with
background paintings and sets of limited space. Not everyone will be interested
in watching a photographed stage play, but two-time, Tony-award winning producer
John Dexter does an excellent job…and his brilliant cast makes you forget
this was shot on video.

The most recognizable actor in the cast is, without a doubt, Sir Alec
Guinness. Those familiar with Twelfth Night should know about his
character's quick change from a priggish servant to gleeful moron (complete with
yellow stockings), and Guinness, showcasing decades of stage experience, pulls
it off with effortless ease. The ladies, Joan Plowright and Adrienne Corri,
explode with playful wit in many of their scenes together, and Sir Ralph
Richardson is a master of bumbling idiocracy. Also doing remarkably well is John
Moffatt, whose role requires him to sing a number of songs.

Although Twelfth Night shows it age, Koch Vision has done a fine job
bringing this 40-year-old production to DVD. Grain and specks are noticeably
absent most of the time, remaining faithful to its original ITV presentation.
The DD 2.0 Stereo track is free of distortion and pops. I don't mind the absence
of bonus features; why not include English subtitles, though?